


Elective Affinities

by DharmaBum96



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:21:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23986723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DharmaBum96/pseuds/DharmaBum96
Summary: Five years have passed and the core four are back to Riverdale. After Archie and Betty cheated on their significant others, a long lasting friendship bloomed between Veronica and Jughead. Now that they are back in town, their old relationships start digging up some hidden feelings between them.
Relationships: Jughead Jones & Veronica Lodge, Jughead Jones/Veronica Lodge
Comments: 8
Kudos: 64





	1. Return to Riverdale

**Author's Note:**

> Unfortunately, English is not my main language. I'm sorry for whatever mistake you might encounter but I still hope you enjoy the story.

A lot can change in five years and even though people tend to think that some feelings cannot be shaken off, they can. Love can wither and betrayal can fade. While days settled in the depth of the mind like little stones thrown into a lake, Jughead started to let go of that regret that defined his prose for so long. The wound that Betty opened on his chest when she dumped him right before graduation, slowly became a pale scar almost indistinguishable from his pale skin.  
« Do you think I’m being weak? » he asked, hesitant, glancing at Veronica from the other side of the table.  
Since Betty and Archie cheated on them, their friendship grew much stronger. They found confort in each other. It was easy: they shared fragments of the same story. A whole summer was spent on trying to put the pieces of that cruel puzzle together, on understanding what happened and recovering. But summer ended soon and before they knew, they were packing for college. Leaving Riverdale behind was the best medicine for their heartache; the only thing they kept from that hellish place was their friendship: through skype calls, infrequent meetings and texts, they were able to keep the thread that connected them. It was like time had never passed, when they met again in Riverdale.  
« For forgiving Betty? » she raised one eyebrow, meeting the cup of coffee with her red lacquered lips.  
Jughead came back some months before her and this was the first time they had the chance to actually meet in person after a whole year. For sure, she didn’t expect to hear that he had started dating Betty again in the meantime. _That’s why you were too busy to tap your fingers on your damn phone to answer my texts –_ she thought, hiding the obvious disappointment on her lips behind the mug. Jughead was obviously looking for a support that she wasn’t too keen on giving. Still, she was his friend.  
Veronica shrugged, putting the cup down. « I don’t think you’re weak for forgiving her. We were kids and kids tend to do stupid shit all the time. » The words left her lips without pronouncing that _but_ that clearly longed in her silence. Of course, observant as he was, Jughead didn’t miss that, raising his eyebrows in a mute question.  
« What? Do you want my blessing? » she sighed, rolling her eyes « I’m not gonna tell you what to do, Jug. If you have any doubt in your mind, you should take responsibility for that – not hiding yourself behind my opinion. »  
Veronica’s tone was altered, like she felt somehow offended by the way Jughead was sitting her down to talk about her ex best friend – the same girl who didn’t falter when it came down to stealing her boyfriend.  
Like he was hit by a whip, Jughead’s expression immediately changed. His shoulder backed against the backrest of the booth while his eyes opened widely in surprise and dismay.  
« Whoa! Calm your horses, Ronnie. We are just sleeping together – that’s all it is. »  
« For now. » she answered back immediately, with a tone as bitter as her smile. « I know you, Jones. You cannot keep this up for long. You’ll be back at her bidding in no time. »  
Silence fell between them as a smug smile drew its line on Jughead’s lips.  
« So you _are_ telling me that you do not approve. »  
A simple conclusion, obvious enough to make Veronica pout and look away. She didn’t want to have anything to do with Betty or Archie, and that included staying away from putting her finger in whatever situation involved them. The fact that Jughead was trying so hard to push her towards breaking her own law was making her mad. She crossed her arms, as if she could protect herself from that situation.  
« Don’t play Humphrey Bogart with me. »  
« Ooh, come on, don’t get all fired up about it. » he said, trying to reach for her arm when she suddently refused. She quickly got up and picked her coat, leaving a few dollars on the table.  
« You know what? Fuck whoever you want, Jughead. Just don’t come back with your puppy eyes to cry on my shoulder when it all blows up. » she said, with venom in her tone, leaving the boy alone in the booth.  
He was flabbergasted, and even a bit mad. He couldn’t pinpoint the reason why Veronica was acting so furiously about the situation with Betty.  
« So fucking exaggerated. » he murmured, glancing at the old Pop’s when he came to collect the empty mugs and the money they both left.

« Never have I ever... » Kevin indulged in the pause that he purposely put between his words, acting as if he didn’t know what to say. « ..stole a guy from a friend. » he said finally, smirking at Veronica.  
« I wouldn’t call it stealing. I didn’t kidnap Archie, Kev. » said Veronica, rolling her eyes before taking a sip of her Margarita. « But I will give you this just because you are my favourite person in Riverdale at the moment. »  
Her tone was bitter, while she pronounced those words with an annoyed grimace on her face. For the whole night, she looked distraught. She felt annoyed by her afternoon encounter with Jughead, but she couldn’t quite say why it was so. She thought that maybe going back to Riverdale wasn’t a wise choice: maybe she was just annoyed because of the memories that the town brought back to her. Or maybe she was feeling like that return had somehow the power to turn back time and bring people back to their old habits – habits that she fought hard to get out of her system.  
« Not even twentyfour hours have passed and there’s already some drama going on? » he asked, curious and bubbly at first. But he slowly frowned in concern when no answer came back his way. Veronica took another sip, avoiding eye contact with her friend.  
« What’s going on with you, Ronnie? You’ve been a party pooper all night. »  
She sighed, getting up to refill her glass in an attempt to buy some time. Kevin was the only one who never took sides after the events that destroyed her relationship and her friendship with Betty. He was Switzerland, and Veronica always respected his choice by never dragging him into the drama. She didn’t want to change that now, but at the same time she knew that a slightly drunk Kevin was her best shot at getting the answers she wanted.  
 _I already feel like shit for doing this –_ she thought, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before suddently turning on her heels to look at Kevin.  
« I’m just.. » she shrugged « I don’t know. I think I might be getting a bit anxious. You know..it’s just a matter of time before I’ll run into Betty or Archie. You know I’m over them by now, but still I don’t know what to expect. » She paused. « I feel like I’m running blindfolded in the streets. How long until I get hit by a car? »  
She felt terrible in lying to Kevin, but if she really wanted to get to the bottom of the situation, that was her only shot. She didn’t care one bit about what was going on between Archie and Betty, but she knew that Kevin would never let any information about Betty slip from his lips if he even only sensed what Veronica’s ultimate interest was. He would have felt that like a sort of betrayal: both towards Betty and his own rules. However, if she gave him the impression that she just wanted to be prepared for whatever heartbreak could come her way, he would have cracked like a nutshell. Kevin Keller was just too good and pure for this world.  
Like clockwork, Kevin’s gaze immediately softened.  
« Girl..I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how you must feel right know. But seriously, if you are worried about seeing any smooch between Archie and Betty..relax. She’s seeing Jughead again. »  
She had to act surprised, opening her mouth in astonishment.  
« Woah, really? Like..seriously? »  
« Yeah. » He nodded. « Well..it’s not really serious right know. But I can guarantee you that she has no intention of looking at Archie twice. She decided it was better to stay friends, and now she wants to try and get back with Jug. »  
She frowned. The last person who gave her news about Archie was Josie, back in New York. It was a year ago, and she said the red haired boy next door was still pretty hung up on the blonde ponytail.  
« I thought.. » she began saying, then shrugged, pointing at Kevin « Does Archie know about this? »  
The way Kevin widened his eyes was, by itself, an obvious answer to that question.  
« Oh..right..no, he doesn’t. And he shouldn’t. Betty and Jughead are keeping it kinda secret because they don’t want to hurt his feelings. And now that Jug started being nice to him again.. » he moved his hand, as if the ending of that phrase was obvious enough. And it was, since Ronnie just nodded, getting the drink closer to her lips.  
« Don’t worry, Kev. My lips are sealed. »

« I’m telling you, she went crazy. » said Jughead, looking back at his little sister trying to do her homework while he frantically ranted about the events at Pop’s, taking his rage out on the dishes he was cleaning.  
« Maybe she overreacted..but she kinda has a point. »  
Jughead turned with a look of betrayal smeared all over his face, staring at Jellybean in outraged silence. The same silence that brought the highschooler to look at him from over the book, sighing.  
« What? Did I not tell you the same exact thing no less than a week ago? You are playing with fire, Jug: either you are gonna burn yourself, or you’re going to hurt somebody else. » She said, before closing her history book and walking towards the kitchen counter, on witch she hopped and sit.  
« Veronica was one of the few people listening when you had to get over Betty. She helped you seeing the obvious red flags in that relationship and understanding that you two were just not meant to be. For fuck’s sake, Jug, do I have to remind you that ponytail went behind your back and dumped you right before graduation? »  
As always, Jellybean did not gild the pill. Jughead folded his arms and bit the inside of his mouth in that typical expression of his: the face he always made when he knew the other person was right, but he didn’t really want to admit it.  
« I would be kinda mad too, if I was her. It looks like you are throwing away all the hard work you two made together. Wouldn’t it feel like a waste of time, if you were in her place? » He did not answer, outright avoiding to look at his sister’s face. « It’s not like you have to say sorry, but..you know..at least considering her point of view and letting her know that you care?! Would it be such a fatal hit for your ego? »  
Little did she know, that everything was a fatal hit to his ego.

When Veronica heard a knocking sound on the door, Kevin had left from no more than five minutes, leaving her to put some order in the luxurious hotel room.  
« Did you forget anyth-? » she freezed, looking at Archie standing there with a bouquet of orchids in his hands. Her instinctual response would have been to shut the door on his face with as much power as she had, but for some reason, she just couldn’t. Veronica glanced in silence at the flowers, then back at Archie’s face. For a few seconds, she looked distraught, but she quickly straightened her shoulder and raised her chin, putting on an algid face.  
« Who died, Andrews? »  
« Can I come in, Ronnie? I just want to talk. »  
She hesitated, tapping her foot repeatedly on the ground from obvious nervousness. She then signaled him to enter the room with a slight nod.  
« Ok, but if you are not out of my room in half an hour, I will kick you out. Understood? »  
« Understood. »

Jughead nodded at the old man with whom he shared a silent elevator ride, when the bell announced that the doors were going to open. The hotel smelled like one of those places in which rich fat men brought their young lover behind their wives’ back. Paradoxically: a really nice smell. A smell that quickly became nauseating when, as soon as he stepped out of the elevator, his eyes met Archie Andrews’ figure on the other side of the corridor. The redhead had a bouquet of flowers in his hand and didn’t seem to notice the former best friend staring at him like he saw a ghost. No, Archie was too busy giving his best puppy face to Veronica to see anything else around him. Instantly, Jughead’s eyes went to the bag full of Pop’s goodies that he had brought as a peace offering to the girl. _You bested me again, Andrews_ – he thought, before taking the stairs.


	2. Lady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica goes to Jughead to get the answers she wants

Most of the people in Riverdale quickly became strangers to Veronica as soon as she left for college. People she went through hell with, suddenly disappeared from her life like they had never been there in the first place. _I guess that’s what happens after high school_ – she thought, one night, while scrolling the list of her chats and noticing how deep down some of her friends ended up. But Jughead..he on the contrary got the first place in every app she had installed.  
After Archie went home, the raven haired princess from New York stared at her phone for hours, with Jughead’s chat open, wondering what he was doing online. Was he talking to someone? Was he just taking a trip down memory lane on his chat with Betty? Or was him, like she was, struggling with the need to get in contact again? She sighed, scrolling back to all their late night conversations, their silly selfies and the long voice messages. She started playing a random one, snuggling under the bed sheets while she put the phone next to her ear. It wasn’t something important: just him, talking for five minutes straight about an idea that he got for a book. She closed her eyes, listening to his voice trembling when he got most excited and imagining his blue eyes sparkling with joy and creativity while he was recording the message. More than a year had passed since that message, and even though it wasn’t more than a few hours since they fought, a deep rooted nostalgia started creeping under her skin, clenching her stomach.

Two days passed without them getting in touch with each other. Veronica kept meeting with Kevin and sometimes with Cheryl, while Jughead just did what he always did best: shutting the world out. He turned off his phone, locked himself in his old room and gave instructions to Jellybean to not let anyone come upstairs. Usual Jughead Jones stuff: when writing, he had to isolate himself completely in order to keep the creativity flood going. The only reasons to get out of the room were strictly bodily needs.  
But like Jesus rising from his grave, on the third day a tornado named Veronica Lodge swallowed her pride and went heavily knocking on the door of the Jones’ residence. She knocked once, then twice, then just started pounding on the wooden barrier with all the strenght she had in her body. The door suddenly opened, revealing Jughead Jones and his messy morning hair.  
« What the hell is wrong with you? » he asked, looking right at her like she was some sort of ghost. But Veronica didn’t respond, charging straight inside the house and throwing her coat on the couch before facing him in silence, arms crossed.  
« Jughead. » she started, taking a deep breath to calm herself down « You literally disappeared. »  
« I was writing. You know how it works for me. » he tossed the answer right out of his mouth, lightly shrugging while he put up his notorious poker face.  
Silenced dropped while Ronnie started shaking her head left and right, letting a low bitter laugh get out of her lips.  
« I don’t know, Jug..this is the first time after a whole year that we actually get the chance to hangout in person. I was expecting.. » _What was I expecting?_ She slightly raised her shoulders. « ..I don’t know. Maybe a text or something. Just enough to know that you’re not becoming another stranger in my life. » _Like everyone else did._  
Jughead knew where those words were coming from. He knew how much Veronica struggled with all the disappointement that she had to face with every person in her life. Family, friends, boyfriend..everyone just walked over her when they felt so, completely disregarding her feelings and creating in her a deep need for affection. Jughead was the one who understood that, the one that shared those scars with her. Seeing her eyes filled with pain and questions was enough to make him lower his head in guilt.   
He stayed silent for a moment, before murmuring his answer.  
« I thought you were busy. »  
« Doing what, precisely, in this hole of a town? »  
Jughead’s eyes met again Veronica’s, shifting from guilt to a deep covered annoyance.  
« When I came by to see you, Archie was there with orchids and puppy eyes. I can do the math. »  
Veronica raised his eyebrows, laughing at those words like it was a joke that only she could understand. She went behind the kitchen counter, filling a glass of water before pointing at him.  
« There’s a reason why I was the one doing your homework, Jones. And it’s because you outright suck at math. »  
She drinked up her water, walking to face him with her chin up.  
« But you are good with words, I can give you that. And I can spot an implicit question when I see one. » She paused, staring at him. « Nothing happened. He wanted to apologize and start fresh – to be civil with one another. That’s it. »  
Getting the answer to the question he didn’t want to ask made him feel slightly ashamed, like a kid found by the parents with his hands deep in the jam jar and the mouth covered with strawberry residues.  
« It’s not my business. » he said, however, crossing his arms as if he was trying to avoid admitting that, yes, he really did spin for days around the thought of what might have happened between her and his former best friend.  
« It’s not. But that never stopped you from snooping around. I just took the burden of asking off your shoulders. »  
For the first time after their fight, Jughead actually smiled at her in a non sarcastic way, shaking his head in ironic disbelief. Veronica always had the superpower to see through his bullshit, staring right into his soul and understing the true motivs that hid behind his attitude. Looking at each other, their gazes softened, leaving behind a bit of the annoyance and rage that built up for days.  
« Thanks? » he asked, ironically, before getting serious again. He sighed. « Look..I understand what you were saying at Pop’s the other day. Well..I thought I did, at first, but then I saw Archie at your door and I _really_ understood. »  
When he came home, that night, his disappointment slowly turned to anger while his thoughts started drifting on what was happening between her and Archie. The red head betrayed her trust in the worst way possible, hurting her feelings in a way that made impossible for her to open up to love again. Just the thought of Veronica slipping back to Archie made Jughead boil with rage. He didn’t deserve her, not after everything he did to her. _Hell, he never did, deserve her! She is smart, she is beautiful, she is caring. And he just tossed her aside._ Those obsessive thoughts kept spinning in his head while writing his new novel, centered on the story of a man consumed by jealousy towards a girl he could never have. Again: Jughead was good with words, but terribly mad at doing the math.  
Veronica bit her lower lip in uncertainty, looking down at her feet.  
« What? » asked Jughead, astonished. He was expecting to see her gloating in the joy of being told she was right.  
« Look..I don’t really want to put my finger in your business, but that night I saw Kevin and he told me that Betty wants to get back with you. »  
Jughead didn’t look surprised, but he still raised one eyebrow.  
« So you can do this too. »  
« What? »  
« Asking a question without really asking it. » He smirked, just before shrugging. « I don’t care what Betty wants. I was really clear with her: no strings attached. »  
Veronica didn’t look too convinced by his words. She gazed at him in slight concern.  
« It’s risky, Jug. I think you should talk to her and set the record straight before someone gets hurt. »  
Those words slipped painfully out of her lips. Deep down she felt like Betty deserved getting hurt, but the shame of those selfish thoughts got the best of her. She knew what was the right thing to do, and she really cared about Jughead. And also, on another selfish level, she felt like his new found connection with Betty would somehow threaten their bond.  
« We’ll see, Ronnie. »  
« Tonight. »  
« Tonight? »  
« At the Riverdale High alumni party. Did you forget? »  
He did. Completely. He took his hand to his forhead. « Oh fuck! It’s tonight, you’re right. »  
She smirked, walking slowly towards him with cat eyes, like she was about to make a naughty proposition. She put a hand on his shoulder, fixing his hair with the fingers of the right one.   
« Jug? »  
His eyes started gleaming with a dark excitement, a mixture of weird sensations that he wasn’t able to part and understand with precision. Jughead’s lips mirrored the smirk on Veronica’s face.   
« Mhm? »  
« You wouldn’t make me go all alone to that party, right? » she asked softly, pouting and batting her eyelashes.  
He leaned in, murmuring in her ear. « Never. »  
A low laugh left his lips while he took back the distance, winking at an obviously gloating Veronica, who went to take her coat.  
« I’ll be ready at eight, Jones. But you should start waiting in the lobby at half past seven. » She paused. « I’m still a lady. Don’t you ever forget that. »


End file.
